They said Ms Rice had assured them that the US did not interpret international humanitarian law differently from its allies.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the meeting was "very satisfactory for all of us".

Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot, one of those most concerned by the issue, also said he was "very satisfied".

On Wednesday, Ms Rice stressed that all American interrogators were bound by the UN Convention on Torture, whether they worked in the US or abroad.

The Bush administration has previously said the convention, which bans cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, does not apply to US personnel abroad.

Ms Rice's comments were welcomed by members of Congress who are currently pushing through legislation, proposed by Republican Senator John McCain - a former prisoner of war - that would tighten the rules on the treatment of foreign terrorism suspects.

The White House has resisted attempts for the CIA to be bound by any new legislation on interrogation practices.

But Ms Rice's new approach suggests these efforts might have been abandoned, says the BBC's Justin Webb in Washington.